Smith & Rabbit is best described as a homey garden venue where they serve comfort food. Hidden down a small sub soi near Prachachuen Rd., the restaurant is packed on weekends mostly with neighborhood locals who take to the sizeable garden full of wooden furniture, swings and trees. The food is predominantly no-frills Thai with a homemade taste that matches the reasonable prices. We might stop by if we’re in the area, too, but truth be told the food isn’t the main attraction. The hed krob tord nampla (deep-fried mushroom, B89) is pleasantly chewy, but a little too stale and greasy. Similarly, the mara pad pla kem (bitter gourd with salted fish, B79) is quite good, only the bitter gourd is overcooked and overly mushy, and, again, it’s all pretty oily. Better is the recommended Koon Koon (fried pork, B79), said to be the recipe of the owners’ grandma. The dish is clean and simple—peppery and garlicky. Another really wonderful find flavor-wise is the spaghetti pad naem horapa (spaghetti with Isaan sausage, B79)—the prik haeng (dried chili) goes great alongside the dish’s namesake ingredient, but it’s a total shame that the pasta is extremely soggy. We hoped that the gaeng jued (soup with seaweed and tofu, B69) would provide a welcome relief from all the greasy, salty fare, but unfortunately it’s more of the same—with an overpowering aroma of fish sauce to boot. That said, there’s nothing particularly offensive about any of the dishes here; it’s just there’s nothing much to be too enthusiastic about. We love the idea of kicking back with some simple, homely food in a lush garden, but Smith & Rabbit has some way to go before convincing us it’s anything more than a default neighborhood favorite. No corkage charge.
